The Detailed Project Report (DPR) for development of lakes in the City will be ready by the end of this month (October), says Assistant Conservator of Forests, BBMP, M R Suresh. Altogether 17 lakes in the City are to be developed under the Centre’s NURM (National Urban Renewal Mission) scheme.

“We plan to launch the project in a big way by the end of this year,” Suresh told Metrolife. “Fifty percent of the cost would be borne by the Centre and the remaining by the State and the BBMP,” he says.

On progress regarding the planting of seedlings, he said that 50 per cent of the 1.35-lakh target set by the BBMP for the financial year 2007–2008 has been met. “The focus is more on planting them in the new zones  added to the corporation,” he says.

“We are forced to remove many trees and transplant them elsewhere due to the need to widen over 40 roads in the City. Seven trees have been removed from M G Road already. But we are doing our best to save as many trees as possible and our focus is on saving healthy trees,” he adds. 

SL